Balance bar for handling wrapper rolls of a strip coiling machine

ABSTRACT

A balance bar device is provided which facilitates the removal, replacement, and transporting of wrapper roll assemblies of a strip coiling machine by means of an overhead crane. The balance bar is releasably interconnectable with a wrapper roll assembly at one of the opposite ends thereof. The balance bar is supported by an overhead crane and provides for the wrapper roll assembly to be transported to and from the coiling machine and supported with respect thereto during removal and replacement operations in a manner which guarantees a desired orientation of the wrapper roll head with respect to the coiling machine. The balance bar, when carried alone by an overhead crane, is supported in a manner which provides a desired orientation with respect to the wrapper roll assembly so as to facilitate its engagement with and subsequent disengagement from the assembly.

United States Patent 11 1 Pim [ Nov. 12, 1974 l l BALANCE BAR FORHANDLING WRAPPER ROLLS OF A STRIP COILING MACHINE [75] Inventor: NormanL. Pim, Salem, Ohio [73] Assignee: Gulf & Western Manufacturing Company,Southfield, Mich.

1221 Filed: May 7,1973

21 Appl. N0; 357,815

[52] US. Cl 294/67 AA, 294/67 R, 294/81 R [51] Int. Cl. B66c 1/22 [58]Field of Search 294/67 R, 81 R, 67 AA, 294/67 A, 78 A, 86 L5; 212/48, 49

[56] 7 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 808,7l9 l/l906 Bray 294/672.246.142 6/1941 Moore 3,549,190 12 1970 Caldwell 3,675,96l- 7/1972Wheeler 294/67 R FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 231.770 7/1969 U.S.S.R294/81 R Primary E.\anzinerEvon C, Blunk Assistant ExaminerJe ffrey V.Nase 5 7 ABSTRACT A balance bar device is provided which facilitates theremoval, replacement, and transporting of wrapper roll assemblies of astrip coiling machine by means of an overhead crane. The balance bar isreleasablyinterconnectable with a wrapper roll assembly at one of theopposite ends thereof. The balance bar is sup ported by an overheadcrane and provides for the wrapper roll assembly to be transported toand from the coiling machine and supported with respect thereto duringremoval and replacement operations in a manner which guarantees adesired orientation of the wrapper roll head with respect to the coilingmachine. The balance bar, when carried alone by an overhead crane, issupported in a mannerwhich provides a desired orientation with respectto the wrapper roll assembly so as to facilitate its engagement with andsubsequent disengagement from the assembly.

1 Claim, 3 Drawing Figures SHEET 10F 2 PATENTED NOV 12 1914 BALANCE BARFOR HANDLING WRAPPER ROLLS OF A STRIP COILING MACHINE DESCRIPTION Thepresent invention relates to the art of material handling and, moreparticularly, to a balance-bar device for use in conjunction with thesupporting and/or transporting of a load.

The balance bar device of the present invention finds particular utilityin conjunction with the removal and replacement of a wrapper rollassembly of a sheet metal coiling machine. accordingly the inventionwill'be discussed and described in detail in conjunction with wrapperroll assembly manipulation. It will be appreciated, however, that thebalance bar device can be employed in conjunction with the supportand/or transporting of loads other than wrapper roll assemblies.

Sheet metal coiling machines include a rotatable mandrel upon whichsheet metal is to be coiled, and wrapper roll assemblies cooperable withthe mandrel to form the initial wraps of the metal sheet to be coiled onthe mandrel. The wrapper roll assembly is removably interconnected withthe coiling machine frame structure to facilitate removal of theassembly for repair or replacement of components thereof, or to provideaccess to other portions of the coiling mechanism such as the mandreland frame components for repair and/or replacement operations. Thewrapper roll assembly is quite large and heavy and, accordingly,requires utilization of an overhead crane or the like to achieve removaland replacement thereof relative to the coilingmachine frame.

It will be appreciated that the size and weight of the assembly makeshandling and maneuvering thereof relative to the coiling machine framequite difficult. In particular, extreme care must be taken in removingthe wrapper roll assembly from the frame to support the assembly in amanner whereby release of the assembly from the frame is not accompaniedby undesirable impact or engagement between the assembly'and frame whichcould damage the latter or the mounting surfaces thereon. Likewise,extreme care must be exercised in positioning the wrapper roll assemblyfor replacement on the frame to prevent such impact or engagementtherebetween. The care required includes manipulation of the supportmeans being employed in a manner which accurately aligns the matingsurfaces of the wrapper roll assembly and frame prior to and during themounting and interconnecting operation.

Several method and devices have been employed heretofore to achievewrapper roll removal and replacement. One method previously employedinvolves the provision and utilization of an overhead crane andmakeshift rigging for supporting and maneuvering the wrapper rolls orthe wrapper roll assembly relative to the coiling machine frame.Afurther handling method employed heretofore involves bolting or pinninga frame structure to the wrapper roll assembly. The frame structure issupported and maneuvered relative to the coiling machine by utilizing acoil car component which is employed in conjunction with the coilingmachine to achieve removaland transportation of coiled sheet metal fromthe mandrel of the machine. Alternatively, the frame structure issupported and maneuvered by utilizing an overhead crane either alone orin conjunction with thecoil car.

Previous wrapper roll removal and replacement efforts, including thosespecifically mentioned above, are time consuming and often causeconsiderable production delay. Moreover, the devices and methodsemployed are not conductive to providing the precise alignment necessaryto achieve installation and removal expeditiously. Further, the previoushandling methods and apparatus employed are often hazardous with respectto maintenance personnel performing the removal and replacementoperations.

In accordance with the present invention, a device is provided by whichremoval, replacement and transportation of a wrapper roll assemblyrelative to a coiling machine frame can be achieved more efficiently,safely and conveniently than heretofore possible. More particularly, abalance bar device is provided in accordance with the present inventionwhich enables a wrapper roll assembly to be supported during suchoperations in a manner which enables a particular and desiredorientation of the assembly with respect to the coiling machine to beachieved, thus to obtain desired alignment between the wrapper rollassembly and coiling machine during removal and insertion operation.

The balance bar device of the present invention is adapted to besupported and maneuvered into position relative to the wrapperroll'assembly by means of an overhead crane or the like. Moreover, thebalance bar is adapted to be readily coupled and uncoupled with respectto the wrapper-roll assembly and is structured so as to be supported insuspension in aparticular orientation relative to thewrapper rollassembly. This advantageously facilitates coupling and uncoupling of theassembly and balance bar device. Further, the balance bar device isstructured such that the wrapper roll assembly and balance bar deviceare together supported in suspension by the overhead crane in aparticular orientation relative to the coiling machine and, moreparticularly, so as to be accurately aligned with respect thereto duringinsertion and removal operations.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, thebalance bar device has a center of lift by which it alone or togetherwith a wrapper roll assembly is supported by an overhead crane or thelike.

The balance bar device further includes weights oriented with respect tothe center of lift so that the center of gravity of the load' defined bythe balance bar alone or together with the wrapping roll assembly iswell below the center of lift. This provides for a pendulum affect whenthe load is carried by the crane, whereby stability of the load isachieved. Such stability advanta-' geouslyminimizes tilting of the loadabout a horizontal axis during insertion, removal or transportation ofthe wrapper roll assembly relative to the coiling machine, or duringtransportation of the balance bar device alone relative to'the wrapperroll assembly.

The stability thus achieved enhances alignment of the balance bar devicerelative to the wrapper roll assembly during coupling and uncouplingoperations, and alignment of the mating faces of the wrapper rollassembly and coiling machine during insertion and removal of the wrapperroll assembly. Accordingly, transportation of the balance bar device,coupling and uncoupling operationsthereof with the wrapper rollassembly, removal, transportation and insertion of the wrapper rollassembly relative to the coiling machine are all achieved safely and ina minimum of time.

Therefore, production losses are decreased, injury or damage tocomponent parts of the coiling machine and/or wrapper roll assembly isavoided, and maintenance personnel are exposed to less hazardous workingconditions.

It is an outstanding object of the present invention to provide a devicewhich can be utilized in conjunction with an overhead crane or the liketo achieve convenient, safe and expeditious handling of a load to besupported and/or transported by the crane.

A further object is the provision of a balance bar device adapted to becoupled and uncoupled with respect to a load and which is adapted to besupported in suspension by an overhead crane or the like in a mannerwhereby a particular orientation of the balance bar device relative tothe load is achieved to facilitate coupling and uncoupling operations.

Yet another object is the provision of a balance bar device of theforegoing character which, together with a load coupled thereto, isadapted to be supported in suspension by an overhead crane or the likefor the attached load to have a desired orientation relative to areference axis or plane.

Still another object is the provision of a balance bar device of theforegoing character having a center of support and a center of gravityand wherein the center of gravity is well below the center of support toprovide for the load defined by the balance bar alone or together with aload coupled thereto to be stabilized against unintended tilting about ahorizontal axis when the balance bar is supported in suspension.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a balancebar device adapted to be coupled and uncoupled with respect to a wrapperroll assembly of a sheet metal coiling machine to balance the weight ofthe assembly and provide a desired orientation thereof relative to thecoiling machine during insertion and removal of the assembly relative tothe machine.

Still another object is the provision of a balance bar device of theforegoing character which has a low center of gravity relative to acenter of support for the device, whereby the wrapper roll assembly isstabilized against tilting about a horizontal axis to enhancemaintenance of a desired alignment relationship between the wrapper rollassembly and coiling machine during insertion and removal operations.

The foregoing objects, and others will in part be obvious and in partpointed out more fully hereinafter in conjunction with the descriptionof the drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention andin which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a sheet metal coiling machine;FIG. 2 is an elevational view of a balance bar member for removing andreplacing the wrapper roll assembly of the coiling and, and

FIG. 3 is an elevation view, partially in section, of the balance barand wrapper roll assembly as viewed along line 3-3 in FIG. 2.

Referring now in greater detail to the drawings wherein the showings arefor the purpose of illustrating preferred embodiments of the inventiononly and not for purposes of limiting the invention, a sheet metalcoiling machine is illustrated in FIG. 1 which is of the charactergenerally referred to as a down-coiler. The coiling machine iscomprised, basically, of a main frame unit 10, a mandrel 12, a pair ofwrapper roll assemblies l4, and carriages 16 slidable relative to themain frame and supporting a corresponding one of the wrapper rollassemblies for movement toward and away from the mandrel.

Main frame is of fabricated steel construction having opposite sides 18and 20 and opposite ends 22 and 24. Sides l8 and 20 are spaced apart toreceive the operating components of the coiling machine therebetween,and openings, not designated numerically, are provided in the sidewallsto facilitate driving the mandrel and wrapper rolls from one side of theframe and removing the wrapper roll assemblies from the other sidethereof, as set forth more fully hereinafter.

Each wrapper'roll assembly 14 is comprised of a supporting head-30, apair of wrapper rolls 32 and a fixed guide element 34 between thecorresponding pair of wrapper rolls 32. The wrapper rolls, are rotatablysupported by the head for rotation about axes generally parallel to-theaxis of mandrel l2, and each roll is driven by a corresponding shaft anda corresponding drive motor unit, not illustrated, located outwardly ofside 18 of main frame 10.Further, 10. Further, wrapper roll assembly 14is interengaged with the corresponding carriage 16 so as to be removableby sliding movement horizontally of the carriage, parallel to themandrel axis, and in the direction outwardly from side 20. In accordancewith the present invention, a unique balance bar device is provided tofacilitate insertion and removal of wrapper roll assemblies 14. Apreferred embodiment of the balance bar device is illustrated in FIGS. 2and 3 of the drawing. In this respect, the balance bar device includes acircular rod or arm 246 having a counterweight 248 mounted on one endthereof and an attaching head 250 mounted on the other end thereof. Forthis purpose, counterweight 248 and attaching head 250 may be providedadjacent their upper ends with apertures adapted to receive arm 246. Thearm is rigidly interconnected with attaching head 250 such as bywelding, and counterweight 248 is secured to the rod against rotationrelative thereto and, preferably, for removal from the arm to facilitatethe use of various weights with the balance bar device. The manner inwhich the counterweight and arm are interconnected for this purpose doesnot form part of the present invention and many suitable arrangementswill be apparent to those skilled in the art. Moreover, it will beappreciated that counterweight 248 does not have to be mounted on theend of arm 246 and can be positioned inwardly of the corresponding endof the arm.

Attaching head 250 is adapted to be releasably interconnected with awrapping roll assembly 14 to facilitate removal, transportation andinsertion of the wrapper roll assembly relative to a carriage 16. Manysuitable interconnecting arrangements can be employed and, in theembodiment illustrated, the interconnection is achieved by providing theattaching head 250 with an opening 252 therethrough adapted to receive acooperatively contoured stud 260 provided on the end of each wrapperroll assembly disposed adjacent side 20 of the main frame. Stud 260 maybe mounted on the corresponding arm 58 of the wrapper roll assembly suchas by welding and, preferably, the axis of stud 260 passes through thevertical and horizontal center of gravity of the wrapper roll assemblyso that the assembly is balanced with respect to the stud axis.

Opening 252 in attaching head 250 is provided with arcuate top andbottom portions and flat side portions,

and the sides of stud 260 are provided with flats so that the contoursof the stud and opening 252 mate with one another. Preferably, the sidesof opening 252 are defined by wear plates or pads 262 suitably mountedwithin the opening for engagement with the flat sides of the stud. Theflat sides of the studs and openings prevent relative rotation betweenattaching head 250 and the wrapper roll assembly when the balance bardevice is interconnected therewith. To prevent unintentional axialdisplacement of the attaching head from stud 260, the stud may beprovided with an opening 264 therethrough adapted to receive a stop pin266.

Balance bar arm 246 is provided along its length with a plurality ofaxially spaced apart annular recesses or grooves 268. Pairs of thegrooves are adapted to receive a pair of cable loops 270 interconnectedwith a cable 272 suspended from an overhead support such as a crane, notillustrated. Cable loops 270 and cable 272 are adapted to support thebalance bar alone, or the balance bar and wrapper roll assembly, andannular grooves 268 define the locations on arm 246 which providebalanced suspension of the balance bar or balance bar and wrapper rollassembly. In'this respect, grooves 268 prevent slipage of cable loop 270relative to arm 246, and the grooves are spaced apart a distance whichprovides for pairs of the recesses to be employed with the cable loopsto achieve the desired balance against tilting about an axisperpendicular to the plane of FIG. 20. Accordingly, it will beappreciated that one pair of the recesses 268 will be employed tosupport the balance bar alone and another pair will be employed tosupport the balance bar and wrapper roll assembly. Additional recessesare provided on arm 246 to lend selectivity to the particular pairemployed to achieve the de-.

sired balanced suspension.

Support of the balance bar alone in balanced suspension against tiltingabout an axis perpendicular to the plane of FIG. advantageously providesfor the balance bar device to be readily manipulated into position forconnection with stud 260 and with the balance bar in a horizontaldisposition to facilitate interengagement between the stud and opening252 in attaching head 250. Further, attaching head 250 and counterweight248 are preferably symmetrical with respect to a vertical plane throughthe axis of arm 246 and the axis of opening 252, whereby the flat sidesof openings 252 are vertically disposed when the balance bar issupported in suspension. This relationship further facilitatesintroduction of the stud into opening 252.

Counterweight 248 preferably depends a considerable distance below theaxis of arm 246 so that the center of gravity of the counterweight iswell below the center of lift defined by the support arm axis. It willbe noted too that attaching head 250 depends vertically below arm 246,whereby the center of gravity of the wrapper roll assembly is well belowthe axis of arm 246. The low center of gravity of counterweight 248advantageously provides stabilization against tilting of the balance barabout the axis of arm 246. The stability thus achieved is advantageousduring engagement of the balance bar with the wrapper roll assembly and,additionally, is of considerable advantage with regard to supporting thewrapper roll assembly during removal and replacement thereof relative tocarriage 16.

The weight of counterweight 248 corresponds substantially to the weightof wrapper roll assembly 14. When the balance bar has been attached tostud 260 of the wrapper roll assembly, cable loops 270 are shifted to apair of recesses 268 which provide for the balance bar and wrapper rollassembly to be balanced when supported in suspension. By use of theoverhead crane or like support, the wrapper roll assembly is thenwithdrawn horizontally from the carriage in the direction from the solidline position to the broken line position of the various componentsillustrated in FIG. 20. During such movement, the low centers of gravityof counterweight 248 and wrapper roll assembly 14 provide a pendulumeffect which minimizes pivotal movement of the balance bar and wrapperroll assembly about the axis of arm 246. Accordingly, removal of thewrapper roll assembly relative to the carriage is advantageouslyachieved with a minimum of interengagement between the two components.Once completely removed from the carriage, the wrapper roll assembly canbe transported to a maintenance area or the like, and transportation ofthe assembly in a balanced condition is assured.

The balance bar device further porvides for a wrap- ,per roll assemblyto be accurately positioned .for insertion thereof into the carriagewith tapered upper and lower edges of the head member aligned with thecooperatively tapered upper and lower edges of the carriage pads. Oncepositioned for insertion, the wrapper roll assembly is displaced toachieve sliding thereof into assembled relationship relative to thecarriage. Since the balance bar is disposed outside the machine frame,the balance bar device can be employed to achieve full insertion of thewrapper roll assembly relative to the carriage. Following suchinsertion, the lock bolt is employed as described hereinabove to achievelocking en-' gagement between the carriage and wrapper roll assembly,cable loops 270 are relocated at the balance point for the balance baralone, pin 266 is withdrawn from stud 260 and the balance bar is removedand transported away from the machine. The driven ends of the wrapperrolls are then coupled to the corresponding drive shafts and the coilingmachine is again ready for operation.

While a particular stud and opening arrangement has been described forinterconnecting the balance bar and wrapper roll assembly, it will beappreciated that many arrangements for interconnecting these componentscould be provided. For example, the attaching head of the balance bardevice could be provided with a projection and the wrapper roll assemblywith a correspondingly contoured recess or aperture for the projection.Moreover, the projection and recess could readily have other contoursthan that illustrated herein to prevent relative rotation therebetween.

As many possible embodiments of the present invention may be made, andas many possible changes may be made in the embodiments hereinillustrated and described, it is to be distinctly understood that theforegoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrativeof the present invention and not as a limitation.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A balance bar for use in removing and inserting a wrapper rollassembly along a horizontal linear path with respect to a wrapper rollsupporting frame of a sheet metal coiling machine, which wrapper rollassembly includes a horizontal projection extending in the direction ofsaid linear path comprising: an arm having opposite ends and an axisextending therebetween,

plate means fixed on one end of said arm and extending in a directionlaterally of said arm axis, said plate means having an aperture thereinfor receiving said projection, said aperture having an axis spaced fromand parallel to said arm axis, said aperture and projection havingmating cross-sectional contours other than circular, weight meanssecured on said arm and spaced from said one end in the direction towardthe other end of said arm for counterbalancing the weight of saidwrapper roll assembly when said arm is supported in suspension betweensaid one end and said weight means, said weight means extending in saidlateral direction and having a center of gravity spaced from said armaxis in said lateral direction, said arm being circular in crosssection, and a plurality of peripheral grooves axially spaced apartalong said arm, a first pair of said grooves denoting locations forbalanced horizontal suspension of said arm, plate means and weightmeans, and a second pair of said grooves denoting locations for balancedhorizontal suspension of said arm plate means,

weight means and wrapper roll assembly.

1. A balance bar for use in removing and inserting a wrapper rollassembly along a horizontal linear path with respect to a wrapper rollsupporting frame of a sheet metal coiling machine, which wrapper rollassembly includes a horizontal projection extending in the direction ofsaid linear path comprising: an arm having opposite ends and an axisextending therebetween, plate means fixed on one end of said arm andextending in a direction laterally of said arm axis, said plate meanshaving an aperture therein for receiving said projection, said aperturehaving an axis spaced from and parallel to said arm axis, said apertureand projection having mating cross-sectional contours other thancircular, weight means secured on said arm and spaced from said one endin the direction toward the other end of said arm for counterbalancingthe weight of said wrapper roll assembly when said arm is supported insuspension between said one end and said weight means, said weight meansextending in said lateral direction and having a center of gravityspaced from said arm axis in said lateral direction, said arm beingcircular in cross section, and a plurality of peripheral grooves axiallyspaced apart along said arm, a first pair of said grooves denotinglocations for balanced horizontal suspension of said arm, plate meansand weight means, and a second pair of said grooves denoting locationsfor balanced horizontal suspension of said arm plate means, weight meansand wrapper roll assembly.